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What (Most) Colorado Republicans Agree On

Deck

Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, former Governor Bill Owens, and Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams joined for an announcement yesterday that their party is united by a conservative agenda and the gubernatorial candidacy of Scott McInnis. The agenda, dubbed the "Platform for Prosperity," promises to review state spending in an effort to get Colorado's budget under control.
When asked what he'd cut if he were governor, McInnis, a former congressman, instead criticized Democratic Governor Bill Ritter for closing a facility that helps medically needy adults in his hometown, Grand Junction, notes The Denver Post. "This guy doesn't get priorities," McInnis said of Ritter, dismissing arguments that the state's budget woes can be blamed, in part, on the national fiscal crisis. "Sure, it's a tough economy. That's where management is most important," he added. "The responsibility rests with this governor."
The "Platform for Prosperity" calls for opposing tax hikes and most new fees (via The Associated Press). It also would loosen regulations on oil-and-gas production, promote nuclear power, back requirements that employers verify their workers are eligible to work in United States, and reinstate Owens' ban on giving taxpayer money to organizations that provide abortions. (Read the entire platform here).
"It's not a 600-page policy document," McInnis spokesman Sean Duffy tells Westword. "It's a kind of consensus framework that obviously distinguishes us from the Democrats---and it tells folks who might be running for city council or any other office, 'Here are some ideas, some principles that we think are good.' And they can look at them and decide for themselves. Nobody is doing Republican saliva tests."
Meanwhile, despite the GOP's kumbaya moment, Dan Maes isn't backing out of the Republican primary for governor, although party members have asked him to consider a run for state Senate instead, reports The Denver Post.